


In Bed Awake With Shadowed Beings

by waywardrose



Series: Iron Moon [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood, Canon Universe, Frottage, Hux is Bad at Feelings, Hux is Not Nice, Kylo Ren is Not Nice, M/M, Masturbation, Murder-Puppy Kylo Ren, Obsessive Behavior, Post-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Villains being Villains
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-23
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-12-05 09:01:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11574795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waywardrose/pseuds/waywardrose
Summary: Now he didn't want just anyone's throat. He wanted Kylo Ren's. He wanted to dig his blunt teeth into Ren's scarred skin and leave his own mark.





	In Bed Awake With Shadowed Beings

**Author's Note:**

> A sequel no one asked for. Yay? I'm still going with the non-traditional version of vampires, of course. I'm making all this stuff up, so just roll with me. TFA is far, far behind us now. Here be dragons.
> 
> [Title from "Iron Moon" by Chelsea Wolfe.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvbJY2CjrUI)

Hux woke to a pitch black bedroom. That was nothing new. What was new was waking up before his alarm and so turned on that he was tempted to rut against the mattress until coming messily.

He couldn't say what had aroused him other than the usual. That used to be just sex and proving anyone who'd ever doubted him wrong, but now that short list included blood and the utter annihilation of his enemies. When he had ordered the techs to fire Starkiller that first time, his dick had gotten so hard so fast, it had left him deliciously reeling. At the time, he'd wished for someone's throat to bite through as the Hosnian system had been obliterated.

Now he didn't want just anyone's throat. He wanted Kylo Ren's. He wanted to dig his blunt teeth into Ren's scarred skin and leave his own mark. _I was here, and this is mine._ He needed to feel that big dick of Ren's pumping into his ass and filling him up.

Hux rolled onto his back, letting his blanket fold half under him. He pushed his undershirt up and tucked the waistband of his briefs under his balls. He hastily squeezed a dollop of lube onto his palm and gripped his erection. He smeared the slippery lube around and bit his lip as his whole body gave a lurch from the pleasure of such a simple touch.

He thought of Ren--of his dark hair curling against his temple and the way the small of his back dipped as he presented his magnificent ass. Ren had gripped one buttock and pulled himself open for Hux. Hux had squeezed the other cheek and urged the tilting of Ren's hips.

He could almost see against the back of his eyelids the sublime flush of Ren's skin, the delicate-looking furl of his hole before he had pushed a slick finger inside. He had used his thumb to massage Ren's perineum. There had come a soft keening from Ren's throat at that. Hux had added another finger when he thought the time was right.

The heat and snugness of Ren's ass was nothing short of perfection. It made his cock jump then and now.

He had kept stretching and lubing until Ren was fucking himself on Hux's fingers. He couldn't help himself when he had curled the pads of his fingers down against Ren's prostate. Ren's reaction had been heady. There had been a sharp gasp, and those powerful thighs had clenched and quivered.

_"Hux!"_

He had swirled his fingers against Ren's prostate as much as he was able to keep wringing those exquisite gasps from Ren. Those gasps became groans became curses became warnings. He had heeded Ren's words and stopped before reaching the precipice of climax. Ren's head had bowed low as he caught his breath.

Ren had let go of himself and handed back the bloodied razor to Hux. He had hesitated for a handful of seconds before taking the little blade. He had drunk enough before to ward off his hunger. He'd had a keen awareness of the tightness of the drying blood on his cheek from earlier. Of course he wanted more, but he had to make sure Ren was at acceptable levels when facing Snoke.

"Are you--"

"Yes, I want it," Ren had cut him off.

Hux had nodded more to himself than Ren and slipped the rounded, ring part of the blade between his lips. He coated his cock in slick, cool lubricant and guided Ren back with a dry hand on his hip.

That hot, wet clutch of Ren's ass had had him biting on metal and wishing the main hold of the shuttle was brighter. Or that he had a spotlight between them to highlight the slide of their bodies coming together.

He had pulled Ren back against his chest with an arm around his ribcage. Ren had laid his head against Hux's shoulder, and the whole expanse from shoulder joint to angular jaw was presented to him like sanguine feast. The scars from the latest fight had been new-pink and on display.

He had taken the razor out of his mouth, slipped it on his dry hand, and placed his lips against Ren's broad shoulder. He had tasted of salt and skin. Hux imagined he could sense all way down inside Ren--through his spongey pink lungs and black-red heart, his mauve intestines and the deep maroon of his liver. And right down to where his cock was slick and throbbing in Ren's ass.

He had dug his teeth into that beautiful expanse of smooth skin and strong tendons, and Ren had writhed in his arms. The motion had caused a chain reaction with his hips. He couldn't stop rocking his cock inside Ren. He just wanted that extra bit of sensation.

"Come on, Hux," Ren had murmured.

He was ripped from his daydream-memory by the alarm. He growled, hit the screen built into the nightstand to get the alarm to quiet, and quickly tugged an orgasm out of his body while he kneaded his balls. Ren's deep purr of pleasure echoed through him, and he could almost taste the piquant, iron tang of Ren's blood on his tongue as he silently gasped in the dark.

He lay there for a minute or two wondering how he had gotten hard so quickly again with Ren. His body was usually a one-and-done. Perhaps it was the newness of the situation. Or stars above, it could have been the mystical Force.

He wiped his messy hand on his bared stomach and sat up as he ordered the lights to thirty-percent. He had a ship to run and a senator-cum-Resistance general to interrogate. He stood and pulled his clothes off, chucking them in the laundry chute.

As he showered, he thought of Ren's pink mouth, of how it had looked with his own blood smeared across his kiss-swollen lips. It had only been five cycles since Ren had left, and Hux couldn't get him out of his head. Every sleep cycle interrupted by hazy dreams of bloody cuts and bitten-off whines that reverberated through his chest and his name being hotly whispered.

Hux realized he had been reduced down to a pathetic, needy addict. He could do better for himself. He would have to wean himself off wanting Ren because he didn't know when Ren was coming back. Another's blood would have to sustain him until--

He shook his head and finished in the refresher.

He would not make do with a short-term partner. He could thrive without Ren--or anybody in particular. He had been functioning and performing his duties with clearheaded accuracy for years before he'd gotten a taste of Kylo Ren.

He dressed with all efficiency and left his quarters right on time. The inquisitors were waiting for him in the brig and gave him a quick rundown of the cycle thus far. Organa was rested and fed an hour ago. She showed no signs of distress. Her vitals were strong. She had not asked any questions as she was brought to an interrogation room.

He acknowledged their work and entered the room. The room had been modified from its usual configuration. No longer was there a singular interrogation chair. Instead, there were two simple metal chairs which faced each other. The spotlight which usually illuminated the interrogation chair shone now between the mundane chairs. He had requested the equipment niches be closed for this session. There was no need to threaten with pain or serums--for now.

"Senator Organa," he coolly greeted as he walked around the seated Leia Organa, the sister of Luke Skywalker and the daughter of the Sith lord Darth Vader.

Her silver-streaked hair was braided and pinned up at the back of her head. She was preternaturally composed in her pristine Resistance command uniform. She had seemed to be aware of him despite never turning around. He considered for a second if she were Force-sensitive like her brother.

She replied, "I would prefer General."

Would she taste like Kylo Ren if she were? Maybe it was something in the blood--like a high level of midichlorians--that made Ren so deliciously addictive. Maybe it was all Force-sensitives. He was curious to find out.

"Seeing as senator was your last _legitimate_ position, I would rather honor that." He sat across from her as he pushed away the thought of the little blade tucked away in his glove. "However, your title doesn't affect the outcome here, so General it is."

"How magnanimous of you," she returned.

He hummed in agreement and checked his datapad. "You seem to be in good health today. Proper appetite. Adequate sleep."

She neither confirmed nor denied the details of the report displayed on his datapad. He hadn't expected her to.

He continued, "I've noticed you haven't inquired about your fellow terrorists."

That seemed to get her attention, if the tightening of her jaw was any indication. "Would anyone have told me if I did?"

"Depends on what you could offer in exchange."

"I have nothing, General Hux. The First Order has seen to that."

"No, General Organa, you have something much more valuable than possessions."

"And that would be...?"

"Your face, your name."

She looked down at her folded hands on her lap and sighed. She kept her silvered head bent until she seemed to come to some conclusion and met his eyes once more.

"Go on," she softly urged.

"You are the last of the New Republic--or at least of the bureaucratic sector. You are the last princess of Alderaan. You are a former general of the Resistance--"

Organa interrupted, " _Current_ general."

"The Resistance has been crushed. Why do you think you are here and not on D'Qar?" he pointed out.

"The First Order's main weapon--Starkiller Base--is gone. You have no weapon to threaten the whole galaxy with. People will not cower before you or Snoke."

It would always come down to Starkiller, he thought. His greatest triumph and his astronomical failure. The most exalted blemish he could ever have on his record.

"General Organa, I do not wish the citizens of the galaxy to cower before the First Order. I want them to join us."

Destroying the ineffectual New Republic was the first step in bringing order out of confusion. The lies which they had spread had been silenced. With the proper words, right figureheads, and effective leverage, the galaxy would come to see how right the First Order was.

"And how would that work?" she asked.

"With you, naturally."

"I will not help the First Order."

"Then there is no use for you, General," he declared as he stood and took a step to the side. "I will schedule your public trial and execution and let you know when to expect it."

"I have one request before I'm put to death."

"You are in no position to make demands now."

She disregarded his statement. "I want to see Kylo Ren."

That wasn't a request he had been expecting. What could she possibly want with Kylo Ren?

He tucked his datapad under his arm and strode passed Organa. "Lord Ren is unavailable at the present time. I shall express your wishes to him when he returns." He paused at the door and looked over his shoulder. "May your time with us grant you some perspective."

-

"Sir, one of the Upsilon shuttles registered with the Knights of Ren is requesting permission to dock."

Hux frowned and marched to the communications bay on the bridge. The rest of the Knights were stationed on other cruisers, so there was no need for them to take Ren's place on the _Finalizer_. However, Ren had only left eight standard days ago. Surely, his training wasn't complete.

He examined the hail: only one unnamed individual on the crew list, no passenger list, berthed from the Unknown Regions, and it seemed legitimate. "Grant permission." He turned to Mitaka. "Send down a security team to meet the shuttle."

He wouldn't take any chances, seeing as it could be some leftover Resistance soldiers. And the last thing he needed onboard was an invading force. A Knight of Ren was enough of a disruption for one ship.

He moved down to the pit to watch through the security feed the Knights' Upsilon dock. He wondered if he could tell if it was actually Ren simply through the way the shuttle settled on the deck. He'd never watched Ren pilot anything before--not even a speeder. Logically, he knew Ren was a decent pilot since he read past shuttle repair logs and listened to the scuttlebutt between the petty officers.

If this was Ren and his flying was like his body language, Hux would speculate that he was calm. Or at least in control.

The ramp for the Upsilon lowered to the deck with it a customary release of steam. He watched as it was still in the hangar for a few seconds before Kylo Ren stomped down the lowering ramp with a dark personal-sized crate in his arms.

Ren never unloaded--that much Hux knew. It instantly put him on high alert. Because, whatever was in that crate was something Ren didn't want any officer to interact with. He hoped it was just something harmless like crate full of exotic sex toys.

Hux sighed to himself and left the pit to continue on as usual. Ren would either check in or he wouldn't. In the meantime, Hux had a report from Engineering to peruse and sign off on quarterly expenses.

He wouldn't think about sucking the thick, rich blood out of Ren's wounds. Or his lush mouth, his deep voice whispering Hux's name, that wine-sweet release of being pressed up against another and not having to hide what he was. Or what the hidden blade in his glove was for. He wouldn't.

Ren had said he was monstrous. It made Hux shiver now.

Hux silently cursed and started reading the second paragraph of the engineering report a third time. By the time he'd finished the damn report, he'd been distracted by the mere presence of Ren on his ship no less than thirteen times. He signed the report and gave it his fingerprint authorization through his datapad.

He was plugging the datapad back into its proper station when the bridge doors irised open. He turned to see Ren, bare-faced and wild-haired, cross the threshold as if he'd never been gone. As if he hadn't been haunting Hux's every sleep cycle.

Ren walked directly for him, ignoring everyone who had noticed him enter the bridge. He straightened up to his full height to greet Ren. Hux hoped his grooming had held up over the long shift and secretly tugged his uniform tunic taut by the hem. He didn't want to show any weakness in the face of unexpected events.

"Lord Ren," he greeted with all respect.

"General Hux," Ren returned. "A word. In private."

"Yes, of course. Follow me."

Hux walked out of the bridge after giving Haedus the conn, Ren right on his heels. Ren matched his steps once they left the bridge and murmured where to go. He was directed to a conference room--the very one where Ren had first kissed him.

Other things had happened in this particular conference room, Hux reminded himself as he entered. There had been important meetings and planning--actual work--and one memorable birthday party for Phasma. He had requisitioned actual fruit--not just flavored sweets--for that.

"Lock the door," Ren all but ordered.

He glanced at Ren's lightsaber before securing the room and disabling any security recording. He watched as Ren walked to the conference table, a lone personal-sized crate perched at the nearest corner. He had to assume it was the one that Ren had been carrying earlier.

Hux took a step from the door and asked, "What did you want to speak to me about?"

In reply, Ren pushed at a corner of the crate. "Open it."

He scratched at his palms as he stepped up to the generic crate. It was a standard First-Order-issued container. Absolutely nothing remarkable about it.

Hux took a deep breath and unlatched the top. Immediately, the smell of oxidizing blood, burnt bone, and stale meat surged out of the small crate. He bit his lip and peered into the plastoid container to see the lolling head of Supreme Leader Snoke.

Hux gripped the edge of the box and stared at the limp jaw of the severed head. Snoke's eyes had been shut when he'd been beheaded. He could almost be seen as peaceful if it weren't for the cauterized, crispy edge of his slashed neck.

"Say something," Ren softly requested.

"What is there to say?" Ren had betrayed his master and the First Order. Would he be next? Hux supposed Ren slicing him in half would do the trick for ending his life. There was no way he'd come back from that. Ren could take control of the First Order, become the new Supreme Leader, and rule the galaxy like the Empire never had. Ren would, in all probability, lose that command in less than standard year, too. He was sloppy when angered and undisciplined.

Hux looked up at his co-commander and wondered where the urge to execute Ren for high treason was, though. He should be issuing his arrest. Then Ren would be at his mercy, and he'd have a steady supply of his blood until the unavoidable event of Ren's death.

That was a possibility, but a distasteful one.

"Hux--"

"If you give me an hour, you'll never have to see me again."

He couldn't follow Ren, but wouldn't kill him, either. Granted, Ren had completed dangerous missions in the name of the Order, but he'd never had to follow protocol. Ren didn't know how to run a military junta, though he seemed to be Snoke's heir. However, Hux couldn't put his own life on the line for a leader he didn't think was prepared for delicate negotiations and compromise and manipulations.

"Why would I want you to leave?" Ren asked.

"I cannot follow to you as Supreme Leader." He had hardly done that with Snoke. "I won't, actually."

"I don't want you to."

"Then why did you show this to me?" he asked.

"He was sending me back here for you."

"Not for a meeting, I take it."

_Always would be paying for Starkiller._

Ren shook his head. "I couldn't do it--"

"Just because I made you feel good once doesn't mean you should've betrayed Leader Snoke," he cut Ren off. "You can't hide this, Kylo. I can't save you."

" _I_ saved _you_! He wanted you dead, and I _killed_ him! _For you!"_

"I didn't ask you to."

"So, you would rather me come back here to murder you and take control of the _Finalizer_!? Because that's what would've happened."

"Or you could've come back here, told me of Snoke's intentions, and I could've rallied the other commanders to stage a coup," Hux fired back.

The air was thick with words left unsaid. He could practically taste the iron of them.

"You don't know if they would've followed you," Ren pointed out.

"You think the other commanders wouldn't be offended by being repaid for their _loyalty_ and _service_ with a death sentence? _I_ led the charge against the Resistance. They fell because of _me_."

Ren murmured, "He didn't want you dead because you saw the bigger picture."

 _"It doesn't matter!_ I could've spun it that way."

"It's too late now."

"You're damn right it is." Hux faced the crate and snapped the lid back on it. He was tired of smelling Snoke. "I have to make this look right," he stated without turning to Ren.

"Maybe I needed something from the _Finalizer_. Snoke sent me back for it," Ren offered.

He turned back to Ren. "What could you possibly need?"

"Something precious to me. It doesn't matter what."

"I'm a co-conspirator," he pointed out, inferring that he should know.

"It doesn't matter. It's in my quarters."

He wanted to push the issue, but now was not the time. A plausible timeline was shrinking, and they needed to act fast. He'd discover what this mystery item was later. He only hoped it wasn't something combustible.

"Fine. You come back for this thing."

"And you," Ren added.

"And me. For what?"

"Snoke wants to see you in person."

"To...?"

"I don't know." Ren paced the length of the shorter side of the table. "I didn't think beyond--" He gestured out the port window at the end of the room. "Snoke was a _threat_ , and I _eliminated_ him."

"For me," he stated.

"For you."

Hux mentally told the flutter in his chest to desist immediately. He couldn't tell if was sentimentality or the old frisson of power that came from ordering a fellow cadet to beat the shit out of another. He was starting to think those two feelings coincided. However, there was something that pleased him knowing that Kylo Ren had killed his master because Snoke wanted Hux's head.

"Fine. Go get this _thing_ from your quarters. I'll meet you at your shuttle."

Ren walked around him, grabbing the peccant crate, and Hux squashed the urge to call Ren back to kiss his full lips. He couldn't put his finger on why he wanted to kiss Ren, but he had a suspicion it was because he was distastefully grateful. Or maybe it was for Ren's confidence--or his own. Or maybe it was because he hadn't tasted those lips in days.

He let Ren leave the room before he commed the bridge to tell Haedus that his presence had been requested by Snoke. The update was accepted immediately, and that settled his nerves. If no one questioned, he could rewrite this story to his benefit.

Hux went back to his private office and grabbed his coat from the niche by the door. He checked the status board imbedded in the wall for updates to find his notice already logged in. He updated the blank annotation space to explain his absence.

That was as much as he could do for now, Hux told himself. As he strode down to the hangar, he swung the coat over his shoulders like cloak and adjusted his gloves. It was typical behavior from him--and he needed to look normal.

Ren was already at the shuttle, and the crate was nowhere in sight. Deck personnel reported to him that the shuttle had gone through its pre-flight check without a hitch. Hux acknowledged the work with a simple _thank you_ and a reply salute.

He followed Ren up the ramp and through the main hold to the cockpit. Hux hung his coat on the back of the copilot's chair. Technically, the shuttle could be piloted by one person, but he took the copilot's seat regardless. He felt the shuttle close up, and the air pressure change as Ren undocked from the _Finalizer_.

"Where's the crate?" Hux asked as he adjusted the ambient temperature of the shuttle. He stared out the windshield into the still field of stars. He knew that each action he took from here on out would make him the master of all he saw or they would bury him.

"Cargo hold," Ren replied after engaging the hyperdrive. The blue haze of lightspeed lit the cockpit up in cool light.

He studied Ren out of the corner of his eye. His lips looked purple and his hair shone like metal. The shadows under his dark, emotive eyes were deep from tension and lack of sleep. Hux knew his blood would look almost black in this light, but would be more succulent than the finest Corellian apple brandy.

It took Hux a second to realize that Ren was staring back at him, that he had turned his head to study Ren. There was a fleeting thought that he must look sunken and haggard, a revenant wearing a puffed up uniform. Hux knew he wasn't robust and handsome. He took after his mother--all delicate bird-bones and thin, freckled skin.

"We have thirty minutes," Ren told him.

Hux nodded, but had no words. Ironic that, speechless after rallying troopers and inspiring officers with eloquent sermons about order and justice. However, when it came to Ren, it felt that the order of his thoughts simply disappeared. Is this what addiction felt like--an erasure of organized thought and a decent into the singular pursuit of one's substance of choice?

"You missed me," Ren stated, his posture becoming more confident as he swiveled the pilot's chair around. "You thought about me."

Hux saw no reason to lie, so he didn't. "You are quite memorable."

The copilot's seat turned towards Ren without his intervention. Hux supposed he could've stopped it or left the cockpit, but he sat there, ensnared.

Ren got to his knees before him and made a place for himself between Hux's thighs. Ren rested his large hands on Hux's now-spread legs, and he felt the warmth even through his trousers. The weight of Ren's hands centered him.

He had the sudden and horrifying realization that he should never have tasted Ren's blood. Because now that he had, all he wanted to do was slip the razor out of his glove and cut Ren wherever he'd allow it and drink him in. He could practically feel the wound against his tongue.

Hux reached out to cradle Ren's beautiful face in his hands. He watched in fascination as Ren's eyes went half-mast as he traced the gentle curve of his cheekbones. He felt as though he were looking at a stranger--and maybe he was. Ren's past indifference and his own dismissal had kept them from seeing each other, from recognizing someone of potential significance.

"Why don't you find out if your memory is as good as reality, General," Ren challenged.

"But I thought of many things," he replied as he leaned in. "And we've only half an hour."

Ren licked his lips. "You'll have to prioritize, then."

He could think of a few things he'd like to be reacquainted with, but he hadn't brought lube. Before he could say as much, Ren's lips were against his. Hux tilted his head to deepen the kiss and slid his gloved fingers into the dark, silky mass of Ren's hair. He felt the puff of breath from Ren's nose against his cheek and those big hands push under the hem of his uniform tunic to grip his ass.

The kiss was a mess of tongue and teeth, and Hux couldn't get enough. His haunted recollection hadn't given him this sort of visceral satisfaction. Dreams and slick hands were pale in comparison to having Ren pull him against his broad body. Even fully clothed. Even with such few precious minutes.

Hux's thighs were spread wide, and he found himself rutting against Ren's stomach, looking for friction against his growing erection. He felt the rumble of a groan resound through his chest as Ren brought them tighter together. He couldn't stop himself from nipping at Ren's full bottom lip and bringing hot blood to the surface.

Ren's hands shot between them and began to unbuckle his belt. He answered by unzipping Ren's tunic down to his waist. Underneath was the same style of ribbed black undershirt and suspenders.

Hux broke the kiss to yank his gloves off and run naked palms over Ren's chest. He traced the low neckline of Ren's shirt with gentle fingertips. He pushed his hands under the heavy tunic to grip at the back of Ren's neck.

Ren briefly met his eyes before he got the collar of Hux's uniform unhooked and pulled the concealed zipper down. Ren grinned more to himself than Hux and said:

"Always a shuttle for us, isn't it?"

Hux huffed in agreement and then gasped as Ren got a firm grip on him and lowered them down to the cockpit deck. He straddled Ren's hips, feeling the unmistakeable bulge of his cock against his balls. He went down on his elbows and dragged the front of his body against Ren's.

"One day I'm going to have you on a bed," Hux promised as he scooted down until their cocks were side by side.

Ren gripped his waist and rolled against him. "With soft sheets."

 _"Fuck._ Nothing between us." He wished he could have that now, but he couldn't seem to make himself pull away. The very thought of his dick naked against Ren's made everything below the waist pulse and clench. He felt his briefs start to wetly stick to his cock. He rested his forehead against Ren's collarbone and breathed in the scent of his skin.

Ren whispered, "Will you drink from me again?"

"Now? In the future?"

"Both."

Hux hummed and reached between them to actually undo Ren's buckle. He yanked at the zipper of Ren's tunic until it caught at the bottom and released. He spread the outer fabric and pulled the undershirt out of Ren's black trousers. His skin was so hot against Hux's hand, and he had the urge to taste every part--lick down the center of his muscled chest and taste the sweet precome oozing down the head of his big cock then to move down to suck on his plump balls and then spread those powerful thighs and sink his tongue into Ren's ass.

Ren gritted out, "I want you to say it."

He lay against Ren and fisted his thick hair to hold his head steady. He looked deep into Ren's sloe eyes and said, "I will drink from you, but not today."

There had to be some control. Hux had to exert some sort of mastery over himself. Because it was obvious that Ren wanted to donate with every encounter. If that kept up, Hux would never be able to come back. He'd be lost. He'd be a slave to his libido and bloodlust-- _to Kylo Ren._

"When we get back," Ren breathlessly offered.

Hux leaned in and kissed Ren's jaw, enjoying the heat of his body, the taste of his clean skin. He dragged his teeth against the meat just under his jaw, and Ren let out a slow, shaking breath. The temptation of biting and drinking his fill made his cock jump in his briefs. Strong hands gripped his hips and pulled him tight against the subtly squirming body beneath him. It was stimulation enough to have him groaning and rocking back.

"I wish you could feel you from this side," Ren whispered.

"I feel plenty over here, I assure you."

"No, I mean--"

Hux's vision went blurry as sensation rolled through him. There was the sharp bite of pain and the open feeling of bleeding and the sound of a moan. It wasn't Ren's voice, but his own which echoed through his brain. There were open-mouthed kisses pressed to his bare shoulder and strong hands supporting him. The unmistakable feeling of lust and fervent tenderness in the fist in his loose hair.

No one had ever felt that way about him.

And no one had ever had a lack of fear when dealing with him. He was so practical that there was no place for fear. He hadn't held his failure with Rey against him. He had kissed his wounds and only saw _blood_ and _man_ and _beauty_.

He couldn't let that get away, and he hadn't let Snoke take another fucking thing from him. He was _his_ , and what they had and shared was _his_. He'd offer up blood every damn day to keep something just for him. Fuck everyone else.

He'd put Hux on the galaxy's throne if he could.

Hux choked on a curse as his vision returned and he flooded back into awareness. Ren had a grip on the back of his neck and pulled him down into a ravaging kiss. The hard deck under his knees seemed unimportant and the circumstances of their reunion became a distant thing as he lost himself in the rhythm of their bodies.

He let Ren take his full weight as he rutted against him while Ren's hips rolled in counterpoint. Hux sucked on Ren's plush, swollen bottom lip as his body tightened and jerked with pleasure. Deaf to everything around him as he desperately rocked faster against the hard, hot mound of Ren's erection.

His balls drew up, and he screwed his eyes shut. He was right there and so close. Hux just needed a little more, just needed to keep going. Ren's deep groan reverberated through him, and it spurred him on. He ground down harder and thought of the taste of Ren's blood and what Ren's come had felt like dripping out of him and the possibility of Ren fucking his mouth, _blood and come and sweat and flesh_ , and that was it.

Hux's whole body throbbed with the heat of a blinding climax. His ears rang, and he tried to pull in more air as his heart thundered in his chest. It shouldn't feel so good to come in his shorts like a kid, but it did. The wet cotton clung to his cock as he rocked through the pulses of his orgasm.

He looked down to see Ren staring up at him with blown-pupilled eyes and flushed cheeks. There was a surprising warmth which slithered through him and coiled just under his ribs. He could feel the silent urge from Ren to kiss him again. It was easy to oblige, and he allowed himself to melt against Ren.

"Did you...?" Hux murmured against Ren's lips after pulling back just enough to ask.

He felt Ren grin. "Oh yeah."

Just because he could, he stole another kiss before easing up. He let his hands trail down over Ren's broad shoulders, his bunched-up undershirt, and down the tight lines of his suspenders. There were fine dark hairs starting at Ren's bellybutton and disappearing under his trousers.

Hux could smell the raw, tangy salt of their come even through their clothes. He wished there was time to bury his nose in Ren's treasure trail and follow it down. The proximity notice pinged before he could even contemplate actually doing anything.

He crawled off Ren and, using the copilot's seat for leverage, hauled himself to his feet. Ren got into the pilot's seat and took back the controls from the autopilot. The ship came out of lightspeed in front of a gas giant with only one moon in sight. The large planet was nothing but a swirling chaos in green. The edge of the planet seemed to glow acid green because of the rays of the system's star behind it. It reminded him of a smooth green gem, a poisonous trinket nestled in black velvet.

"We're headed for that moon," Ren commented as he plotted a course with the navcomm.

Hux nodded in relief because getting through the atmosphere of a gas giant could be deadly. "Good. I'm going to clean up." He would suggest Ren do the same, but he was no doting _anything_ to Ren but colluder and fuckbuddy. He knew that wasn't entirely true seeing as Ren had killed for him, but he couldn't let himself fall to affectionate sentiment because that was not how this had started.

In the minuscule refresher onboard, Hux scraped out his underwear as best he could, wiped off, and rinsed his hands in the sanistream. He examined his face in the mirror to find it mottled with high color. His hair was in disarray as well, but he could fix that--unlike his face. The flush would dissipate soon enough.

He refastened his uniform jacket and dusted off his trousers before leaving the refresher in search of his belt and gloves. Ren was just setting the shuttle down as Hux stepped into the cockpit. The view outside the windshield was of Snoke's citadel. He only knew of it from recent reports. The imposing fortress was built into the rock of a steep, craggy hill. It was made of unbroken gray stone with a stone footbridge connecting the vault of the main gate to a similarly-styled gatehouse. There were machicolations at regular intervals around the ramparts, and he had to assume there were some hidden within the high arch of the main gate.

The sky above the citadel was tinted green from the gas giant taking up half the sky above. He wondered what this satellite's sky would look like as it crested the giant to bask in the direct light from the system's star.

Ren excused himself after powering down the shuttle and opening the ramp. Hux could feel the change in the air. It was dry and hot, but with the unmistakable scent of an ocean. He squashed down his curiosity to see the planet and instead focused on finding his mislaid belt and gloves. He found them in the footwell of copilot's seat and put them on while walking through the dim shuttle.

The sight which greeted Hux had him stopping just at the edge of the shuttle's murky shadow. The ramparts of the citadel were still perfect even if they were ancient. He turned to the plaza leading up to the gatehouse to find it smooth like glass with two pathways of fallow soil. He had to assume at one time there had been trees or some sort of flora making a grand lane for visitors to approach. Beyond the plaza was a city of broken ruins. The whole complex was a graceful blend of fortress and palace amid the decay.

Hux heard Ren's footsteps as he came down the ramp and stopped beside him. He glanced over to see the damning crate in Ren's hands.

"So, you trained here," Hux postulated.

"Only recently."

It was a beautiful place. It was a shame he'd have to destroy it. "I hope you're not attached to it."

"I'm not."

"Anyone in it?"

"Besides the rest of Snoke?" Ren wryly asked. "No."

He nodded and tilted his head down as he walked around the nose of the Upsilon. The trek through the gatehouse and up the bridge was uneventful, and he made it quick because he could feel the back of his neck burning even in the reflected light.

Once they made it through a series of open gates, Ren led the way through the large courtyard and into a grand receiving room. The ceiling soared above with carved, gilded beams and supported by square, clustered-lotus columns. The second they stepped into the vast space, the brasiers on the roughly hewn walls and the central metal chandelier lit up.

Just before the light of the chandelier, sat Snoke's throne. It was a big, gauche thing to put in the space, Hux thought. It clashed with the gray, polished floor under his boots, just like the stone making the arched doorways. The throne seemed heavy-handed amongst the carving and soft lighting.

"Where is he?" he asked.

"Behind-- Follow me."

They crossed the space and rounded the throne to see Snoke's long robed body sprawled out across the cool stone. He had never seen Snoke in person. It was almost ironic to now see him for the first time in death.

Ren knelt on the gleaming floor and placed the crate next to him. Hux left Ren to reassemble the body as he went to the opposite side of the space where an open doorway led outside. To call what was beyond the doorway a courtyard was like calling the _Finalizer_ a quadjumper. The ground stair-stepped down to a sheer cliff with a teal ocean beyond it. There was a long stone avenue flanked by tall fruit trees and large built-up spaces surrounded by stone benches on either side. On the right and beyond the spaces was a temple of some sort with the backdrop of the ocean.

Hux recklessly walked out into the light, but kept to the shade of the fruit trees. The open spaces had been apparently for performances at one time. However, he could see the fresh gouges from lightsabers in the stone. He looked over the extensive grounds and wished for the first time he hadn't been infected.

He looked up into the tree which shaded him and noticed the fruit: oranges. He hadn't had an orange in years. And the last time had been a bruised Mandalorian orange. These looked different--deeper in color with a tinge of pink and more primitive.

He heard Ren call for him before he could pluck one. Hux hurried back to where Ren was waiting in the doorway. Ren's face was a mask almost as unreadable as his damn helmet used to be, but his body spoke of anxiety.

"What is it?" he asked as Ren stepped back to let him into the sanctuary of the cool fortress. The relief was immediate.

"Are you sure standing in the light like that is good for you." Not a question. Not a reprimand.

A concern, Hux realized.

"It's fine. The shade was dense enough." He looked down at Snoke's positioned body--now with lightsaber in hand--and gave it a wide berth as to not disturb the scene. He then recalled there was another body somewhere in the complex. "You brought that scavenger here, didn't you?"

"She's still here."

He stated, "We'll have to be careful when we destroy this place, then."

"You want to save her?"

"She's valuable, is she not?"

"She'll never join the First Order," Ren assured him as he gestured to his scarred face. "She'd kill us if we take her out of carbonite."

Hux huffed a laugh through his nose. There was no doubt she would attempt it. "Then let's keep her in stasis until the psytechs in Reconditioning are ready for her."

"It won't take."

"Not using the current protocols, no, I agree." He looked around the grand space one last time. "I have leverage I didn't have before to help persuade her."

"Such as?"

"I have General Leia Organa up for execution." He made a sympathizing face at Ren. "Perhaps there's something Rey can do to _help_ General Organa's situation."

Ren smirked. "Could make her amenable."

"Where is she, anyway?"

"In a crypt at my four o'clock." Ren held out his long arm to indicate her location. "Snoke wanted to complete my training and take you out before releasing her."

"Perfect. We'll take the building down from its eight o'clock--mostly to ruin this room. That should keep our little scavenger safe." He tilted his head back towards the front of the citadel. "Let's go. We have limited time."

Hux had a shuttle's wiring system to override and a fortress to blow up. Ren followed him with the Order crate out of the citadel--and soon-to-be tomb--and into the green-tinged day. He hadn't seen so much sunlight in years and he'd forgotten how unforgiving it was. The dim shuttle was sweet respite.

Hux got out the tool kit from the supply locker and ducked under the cockpit's console. Getting the maintenance panel off was easy; as was finding the wires for the navcomm since the wiring was neat and secured to labeled panels. However, planting a hidden tracking device was not because of the organization--not that he had one available, anyway. He reminded himself he also needed to override the cannon computer.

He tapped the wire snips against his knee until something came to him a moment later. "Ren," he called out into the main hold.

Ren appeared in the doorway, practically filling up the whole doorway with his height and shoulders.

"I need your belt," Hux said.

"For...?"

"The tracking device in it. You don't think I found you on Starkiller by the Force, did you?"

Ren frowned and looked down his body.

"I won't ruin it," Hux promised. "Getting it out will be easier than installing it."

A dark look passed over Ren's face before he unlatched the belt and handed it over sans lightsaber. Hux worked quickly and detached the homing beacon from inside the hollowed out section of the buckle before closing it up once more and handing it back. The pill-sized device could be wired into the navcomm to appear as though the shuttle was being tracked. He'd have rather installed it in the comm antenna, but that was too high up.

Later, it could be inferred that the Resistance had used the information to track down Snoke and take him out at a distance while Ren was fetching Hux. This attack could be interpreted as the last dying strike of a cornered animal. Naturally, someone would have to take the fall for the breach, but it wouldn't be him or Ren because why would either of them bug their own shuttle.

Hux could feel Ren watch him as he began work on erasing and disabling of the cannon ledger. It would look like it had been shorted out because of the tracking device. Hopefully, nothing would short-circuit in the meantime.

Once he was done, he sat back on his heels and reached up to power the shuttle on. Nothing sparked or caught on fire, so he deemed that a success. The navcomm seemed to work and the cannons were fully operational even though the ledger wasn't logging the times it had been fired anymore.

He closed the console and told Ren to fly the shuttle around to the back of the citadel. They bumped into each other as Ren was slipping into the pilot's seat and he was straightening up. He leaned over and tilted Ren's pointed chin up. He met those fathomless eyes briefly before bringing their mouths together in a quick kiss.

He didn't know why he did it other than it felt good. It was for morale, Hux silently assured himself as he picked up the tool kit. It said they were in this situation together. Ren had done so much for him, anyway. Hux had drunk his blood, fucked him, and conspired to covered up a murder--a murder Ren had done in his name.

A kiss with no expectations was the least he could offer.

Ren didn't comment or question as he went through start-up procedures, and Hux left the cockpit with tool kit in hand. Ren piloted the shuttle with a deft hand around to the back of the stone complex. The transition from ground to air was so smooth he hardly felt the lift off. Apparently, the gossip Hux had heard was true: Ren was a fair pilot.

After storing the kit, Hux came back into the cockpit to take his seat in the copilot's chair and brought the seat forward to the console for assault mode. He slid his hands into the controls for the cannons and locked onto the back wall of the grand receiving room.

And with a steadying deep breath, Hux pulled the trigger.

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](https://the-wayward-rose.tumblr.com/post/179293667014/iron-moon-series-on-ao3-listenchelsea-wolfe)


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